President Trần Đại Quang had separate meetings with newly-accredited ambassadors following their presentation of credentials to the Vietnamese leader yesterday.

The third Việt Nam-China Youth Festival kicked off at the Hữu Nghị (Friendship) International Border Gate in Việt Nam’s northern province of Lạng Sơn yesterday, bringing together thousands of young people from the two countries.

Delegations from Việt Nam and China discussed the potential for trade and tourism cooperation between the two countries in a meeting held on Wednesday morning in Hà Nội.

State budget overspending will be reduced to below 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2020, while public debts, government debts and the country’s foreign debts will not exceed 65 per cent, 54 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, of GDP annually in 2016-2020.

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng yesterday called on Việt Nam and Ireland to step up co-operation in many areas including agriculture, clean energy, high technology and climate change adaptation.

The Vietnamese parliament always wishes to promote co-operation with the National People’s Congress of China towards increasing mutual understanding and trust between the two countries, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân said yesterday.

The National Assembly (NA) yesterday adopted a resolution on the socio-economic development plan for 2017, targeting a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of about 6.7 per cent.

The Vietnamese Government and people appreciate Ireland’s official development assistance, which has contributed significantly to socio-economic development in the Southeast Asian country.

Alarmed by last week’s karaoke bar fire that claimed 13 lives, Hà Nội authorities have issued Document 6737/UBNC-NC, signifying the intention to take a heavy-handed approach to ensure fire safety regulations are closely observed in the capital.